BACKGROUND: Anal sphincter rupture is a serious complication of vaginal delivery and almost half the affected women have persistent defecatory symptoms despite adequate primary repair. During the past decade, the incidence of anal sphincter ruptures has been increasing in Sweden and is currently estimated to occur in 2.5% of vaginal deliveries. The aim of the study was to report the frequency of a

A detailed reaction mechanism for n-heptane oxidation has been compiled and subsequently simplified. The model is based on a kinetic model for C1-C4 fuel oxidation of Hoyermann et al. [Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2004, 6, 3824] and a detailed mechanism for n-heptane oxidation developed by Curran et al. [Combust. Flame, 1998, 114, 149]. The generated mechanism is kept compact by limiting the applicati

Twenty-eight beta-hemolytic streptococci of groups A, B, E, G and Streptococcus equisimilis as well as four Staphylococcus aureus strains were tested for their ability to bind fibrinogen preparations from different animal species: homo, baboon, rabbit, rat, guinea-pig, dog, horse, pig, cow and sheep. The patterns of binding indicated differences in the structures of the bacterial fibrinogen recept

In this paper, we present the results of Ge deposition on a pre-pattemed Si surface. By partially overgrowing nanometer-sized electron beam-induced carbon deposits, faceted pits form at the Si surface and well-defined arrays of self-assembled Ge dots can be grown site selectively in and around those. Typically, four closely spaced Ge islands are formed by preferential nucleation around the pits. B

We construct a probabilistic model which “mimics” the behaviour of a certain number-theoretical algorithm. This model involves study of a binary tree with randomly labelled edges, such that the labels have different distributions, depending on their directions. A number of properties of this tree are rigorously studied. As an application, this study could suggest what one could expect in the origi

That data from polar orbiting satellites have detected a widespread increase in photosynthetic activity over the last 20 years in the grasslands of the Sahel is justifies investigating its role in the tropical carbon cycle. But this task is undermined because ground data that are generally used to support the use of primary production models elsewhere are lacking. In this paper, we profile a Light

The present communication reviews reasons to perform rescreening of chlamydia-infected persons. It brings up difficulties to differentiate between relapse and reinfection. Studies on follow-up of chlamydia-positive cases after therapy are reviewed. It also highlights reasons for therapeutic failure, like compliance, pharmacological factors, including poor bioavailability, wrong dose regimens, lack

This doctoral dissertation studies voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) that operate at low supply voltages. Due to smaller transistor sizes and lower supply voltage ratings with every new CMOS technology, voltage headroom is diminishing. Therefore, new ways to build VCOs and quadrature VCOs (QVCOs) have been sought to overcome this smaller headroom, while still maintaining the high performance o

BACKGROUND: Indications for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation have expanded considerably in recent years, resulting in steadily growing numbers of ICD recipients worldwide. The aim of this study was to review the overall experience with ICDs in Iceland. METHODS: This was a retrospective single centre study set at the University Hospital in Iceland. Data on all ICD implantat

The metallation of tetrapyrroles is believed to proceed via a sitting-atop (SAT) complex, in which some of the pyrrole nitrogen atoms are still protonated and the metal ion resides above the ring plane. No crystal structure of such a complex has been presented, but NMR and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data has been reported for Cu2+ in acetonitrile. We have used density functio

Introduction: Individuals with severe alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency have a well-known risk of developing emphysema but it is not known at which age the first symptoms occur and lung function declines. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of smoking, respiratory symptoms and lung function at the age of 30 in AAT-deficient individuals (PiZ and PiSZ) identified by neonatal scree

A comparative analysis of the electron-hole (e-h) excitation mechanism of impurity luminescence has been performed for wide-gap oxides (WGO) and alkali halides crystals (AHC). A low quantum yield of scintillation in WGO with respect to that in AHC is connected with the high value of the average energy needed for the creation of an e-h pair in WGO. In AHC and many WGO, the width of a valence band E

A coordinated movement is easy to recognize, but we know little about how it is achieved. In search of the neural basis of coordination, we present a model of spinocerebellar interactions in which the structure-functional organizing principle is a division of the cerebellum into discrete microcomplexes. Each microcomplex is the recipient of a specific motor error signal-that is, a signal that conv

Poly(propylene oxide)s with a comblike architecture were prepared by using an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer as a macroinitiator for anionic graft polymerisation of propylene oxide. The densely grafted polymers were subsequently modified by capping the terminal hydroxyl groups with hexadecanoyl chloride to produce aggregating polymers. Dilute solution viscometry showed that the hydroxyl and hexa

An eagerly awaited prostate cancer susceptibility gene has been announced. But does the candidate live up to expectations?